Australia's tropical north to get world's first cassowary crossing

Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-11 13:37:02|Editor: Lu Hui
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SYDNEY, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Queensland state government confirmed on Wednesday that the construction of the world's first cassowary crossing will begin in November.

Set to be built over the Bruce Highway in the Japoon National Park rainforest around 140 kilometers south of Cairns, the land bridge is part of a 10-million-Australian dollar (6.8 million U.S. dollars) upgrade to the roadway.

According to the state's Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey, the crossing, along with other management strategies, will help secure the future of the species in the area and drastically reduce dangerous interactions between the iconic non-flying birds and vehicles.

"We want to protect the cassowary," he said.

"The good thing is, once we develop this strategy, we'll also be able to apply it to protect other species across Queensland and Australia."

While cassowaries mostly eat tropical fruit, fungi and plants, they can also digest meat and have been known to attack dogs and people when intimidated.

Able to grow as high as 1.8 meters and run at a speed of around 50 kilometers per hour, the cassowary has earned itself the nickname, "the world's most dangerous bird" for its extremely sharp claws.

When the crossing is completed, a 12-month cassowary monitoring program led by Australia's peak science body the CSIRO, will immediately begin to determine the success of the project.

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